I'm (Not) Okay, I Promise
by ReinikSociety
Summary: Flash Thompson is a renowned bully at Midtown High, but what's not so well-known, is why. WARNING! Adult Content! (May Contain: Violence, Language, Sexual Content, etc.) No slash.


Author's Note: Hello, all. This was was made in collaboration with IsaacClarkeX. (Here's the link to her profile: u/4763360/IsaacClarkeX) Okay, so this fic is... well, it just is. I like it pretty well, but there are some parts in it that are provocative, and although it's to make another part of the story more meaningful (you'll see), I'm still a little iffy. Oh, well. Hope you like it! Please R&R. ^^

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I groan as I hit the ground. I clinch my eyes in pain as I feel a heavy boot collide with my gut and then kick my leg hard. Hands grab onto my jersey and forcibly lift me to my feet. I open my eyes and stare at Dad, his face contorted with anger.

"You piece of shit! No wonder your mother left you!"

He slaps me on the side of my head, still holding onto my jersey.

"She left because of _you_, asshole!"

He throws me to the floor and spits on me, angrily mumbling to himself as he walks into the kitchen. I pick myself up and adjust my jersey. I head outside and sit on the front step. I pull out a pack of cigarettes, which I stole from my dad, and light one. I place the cigarette in my lips, waiting before I take a drag. I stare at the street in front of me. I see cars driving by and feel my eye swell and body ache intensely. I inhale on the cigarette deeply for a few seconds before exhaling all the smoke through my nose and mouth. I hear Dad yell to me to get him a beer. I sigh, flicking my cigarette onto the ground, and get up from the step. I open the door and walk back in. I slam the door shut and call out to him as I walk to my room.

"Get your own damn beer!"

I hear my dad yelling at me as I walk into my room. I turn the radio on high to try and drown out his voice. I take off my jersey and throw myself onto my bed, which creaks as I do this. I hear Dad's footsteps heading to my room.

_I wish I still had the lock to my door... But I guess it wouldn't work anyway; he'd just break it again._

Dad slams the door open.

"I told you to turn that fucking music down!"

He knocks the radio off the shelf onto the ground, stopping the music.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You listen to me when I talk to you, boy!"

I get up off the bed and stand up to face him. Dad walks closer to me and tries to grab at my shirt, but I push him away.

"Don't touch me, damn it!"

Before he can do anything else, I grab my jersey and walk out of my bedroom.

"I'm not putting up with this shit again!"

I put on the jersey as I walk out the front door and slam it shut behind me. I look to my right and see a neighbor with his dog staring at me. I look at him like "what are _you_ looking at?" and continue walking. I take out another cigarette and light it. I start smoking it as I walk. Eventually, I walk past the arcade. I stop and see that rich kid and Parker standing next to a black limo. I groan and try to hide myself with the collar of my jersey, but Parker spots me as the limo drives away. I watch him slurp the drink he's holding as he walks up to me.

"Hi, Flash. I didn't see you there. How's it go- Woah, what happened to your face?"

"Nothing. Go away, Parker."

"Football again?"

_Yeah, football..._

I walk away and sigh when I see Parker tagging along.

"What do you want, Parker?"

"Are you smoking, Flash?"

"Yeah, what of it? You going to squeal?"

"Uh, no. But it's not good for your health, you know."

"Shut up."

"So... What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Looks to me like you're in a lot of pain. You're limping."

He points down to my leg.

"I'm fine."

"I could call Aunt May to pick us up with her car. She could take you where you want to go."

"No! Leave me alone!"

I speed up my pace to try and shake him, but he won't budge. I stop.

"You know what, I have to get back home. It's getting late."

I start walking in the opposite direction. Parker follows.

"Why do you keep following me around, Parker?"

"I'm not just going to let you walk home by yourself in that condition. Besides, I have nothing better to do."

We walk in silence the rest of the way. We eventually reach my trailer home.

"Well, Flash, I got-"

My Dad slams open the front door, cutting Parker off. He rushes over to me, angrily.

"Where the fuck have you been, brat?!"

He stands at my side and slaps me against the side of my head. Parker stares at us, looking slightly shocked.

"Who the hell is this?"

"No one, Dad. He was just leaving."

"Yeah, sorry. I'll just be going now... See ya, Flash."

"Yeah, see ya..."

My heart races a little at the thought of being alone with Dad. I head back inside and he follows me. I close me eyes because I know what's going to happen next. He shuts the door and grabs my hair before I could run to my room.

"Where do you think you're going, you disobedient _shit?_"

I scream as he does this and place my hands on his wrist to try and pull him away, but he doesn't loosen his grip. I smell alcohol strong on his breath.

"Don't ever leave without my permission again!"

He punches me in the rib and throws me to the ground. He straddles my waist, pinning me down. I receive blows to various parts of my body. I try to protect myself by crossing my arms over my head.

"Ah! Get the fuck off of me, you bastard!"

I try to push him off, succeeding. I quickly get up, heart pounding. I realize my nose is bleeding and I cover it with the back of my hand. My eyes sting from clinching them tightly. I look over to him. He's fuming with anger.

"Don't fucking tell me what to do."

"I can tell you what the fuck I want to because I'm your father, you piece of shit!"

"Some fucking father!"

I see him swipe the empty bottle of beer on the coffee table. He throws it at me and I gasp, flinching. He misses and it hits the wall next to my head.

"You crazy son-of-a-bitch!"

I see him rush over to me and I panic. I run to my room and slam the door, leaning against it with all my weight to keep him out. He starts pounding on the door with his fists, screaming at me.

"Open the fucking door! Open it now, you cunt!"

I slide down the door, back thumping with every pound. I wipe the blood from my nose onto the sleeve of my jersey. I feel tears brimming, but I try to blink them away. Suddenly, the pounding stops and I cautiously put my ear against the door. After a couple of minutes, I hear his footsteps and his shotgun cocking. I jump up in fright and quickly stumble away from the door, heart racing. He slams the door open and aims the shotgun at me.

"What the hell are you doing, Dad?! Are you crazy?!"

He walks over to me and I squeeze my eyes shut, turning my head away. He puts the barrel of the shotgun to the side of my head. Tears start flowing from my eyes.

"Please, Dad... Put it away."

"From now on you're going to fucking listen to what I say!"

"Yes..."

"Yes, _what?_"

"Yes, sir."

He pulls the gun away from me and I start crying harder. He slams the butt of the gun against my forehead, knocking me to the bed.

"Stop that fucking crying!"

I bury my face into the bed and he walks out of the room. I slowly get up and notice blood has soaked through the sheets. I swear and limp over to the door to shut it. I grab a dirty shirt from the floor and place it against my nose. I spit on the shirt and wipe the blood that was trickling down my forehead away, my hand shaking from the shock of almost being killed by my father. I close my eyes and tears start spilling down my cheeks again.

I wake up the next morning, tears dried on my face. I get up groggily and head for the bathroom. I take my clothes off and hit the shower. I wash away the dried blood and tears, finish up and get out. I look into the mirror as I dry off and grimace at the bruises on my face and body. I get dressed, get out of the bathroom and head back to my room to get my jersey. I put it on and notice that there's blood on the sleeve from last night. I heave a sigh and take the jacket off, throwing it onto my bed. I make a mental note to wash it later. I go into the living room and walk into the kitchen. I open the fridge to see nothing but a twelve pack and a half-eaten bag of chips. I grab the chips and put it into my backpack. I put my shoes on and head for the door. I hear Dad stir on the couch.

"Where the hell are _you_ going?"

"To _school._"

He grumbles. I leave the trailer and walk to school. I get there and see Parker shuffling with stuff in his locker. I smirk, slamming the locker shut, catching him by surprise.

"Hey, Puny Parker."

"Oh, hey, Flash..."

I see him roll his eyes as he says this. I get pissed, grab his collar and slam him against the locker.

"Can we just get this over with?"

"What did you just say to me?"

I draw my arm back to punch him, but he pushes me away with surprising force, knocking me to the ground.

"Sorry, Flash, not this time."

Just then, I hear someone clear their throat. I look to my right and see Principle Coulson standing there, one of Parker's friends standing next to him - the Spanish one, can't remember his name. - adjusting his appearance.

"What is going on here?"

Parker speaks up.

"Well-"

"Enough. Both of you in Detention. Now."

We walk in silence to Detention. He walks a little too close to me, so I push him away, making him stumble into the wall.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?"

We arrive at the detention room. I look to my right and see one of the teachers reading a book.

"You boys just have a seat now. Right over there."

She points at the seats and adjusts her glasses. I grumble and take a seat. Parker takes a seat next to me. I roll my eyes and look away, crossing my arms. I watched the clock tick away and put my head in my arms on the desk. Parker whispers to me.

"Flash... What happened to your arms? They're covered in bruises."

I lift my head and glance at him, then at my arms. I study the bruises, trying to think up an excuse.

"Let's just say I got into a fight."

_Which isn't a lie, I did get into a fight. With Dad._

"A fight?"

"Yeah."

I hear the teacher shush us. I yawn and stretch my arms over my head. I feel a hand touch my side and I skip, startled, pain radiating through my side. I look over and see it was Parker who touched me. I quickly brush his hand away.

"Who'd you fight, Juggernaut? It looks like the bruises are all over you."

"Mind your own damn business, Parker."

A few boring minutes pass by and Parker starts whispering again.

"So. What was up with your Dad yesterday? He seemed pretty mad."

"Nothing. I broke curfew, is all."

"He hit you for _that?_"

"It was just a slap. It was nothing."

"Some slap..."

"Do you ever shut up?"

I put my head back into my arms on the table and drift to sleep. A few minutes later, the bell rings and I jerk awake, hurting my side. I groan and rub lightly on the bruise. I pick up my backpack and head out the door to go to class. I'm stopped by Parker.

"Hey, Flash, wait up."

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to tell you you were mumbling in your sleep."

I panic a little, flustered.

"What... What was I saying...?"

"You were saying something about your Dad. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine!"

I push him out of the way and walk forward. After school, I meet up with Tiny at the football stadium bleachers. We take a seat and I offer him a cigarette. He accepts it and I light both mine and his. He takes a drag of the cigarette and looks at me.

"We missed you at practice today. Why didn't you show?"

"I just didn't feel like it, I guess."

"Oh."

We smoke our cigarettes in silence. After a minute, I feel Tiny tap my arm.

"Did your dad give you those?"

I quickly glance at him, then back to the stadium, the night sky illuminated by the stadium lights.

"Yeah. Can I borrow your jersey? I left mine at home and I keep getting looks from people. I'll give it back when I get mine washed."

"Sure."

He places the cigarette in his mouth while he takes off the jacket, handing it to me. I put it on. It's a little too big, but it'll do.

"I wouldn't take that shit from _my _pop. I wouldn't take it from anyone."

"Yeah, well, your pop doesn't own a shotgun."

Tiny chuckles and takes another drag of his cigarette before putting it out on the bleacher seat next to him. I do the same and get up with him.

"Well, I got to go, or my dad is going to give me a good old-fashioned ass-kicking."

"You're sick, man."

We both laugh and go are separate ways. I get home and see Dad sleeping in his recliner. I throw my backpack and shoes into my room and turn on the TV in the living room. I sit down and start to watch a news report about Juggernaut "Destroying half of New York." It reminds of what Parker said in Detention. I shift my eyes over to Dad.

_He might as well be the Juggernaut, how hard he hits..._

I watch the video they broadcast, seeing Spidey swinging in to save the day. I smile to myself and lean in to watch him. I hear Dad waking up. He gets up, with struggle, and goes to the fridge, opening it.

"Where the fuck's all the beer?"

I roll my eyes and continue watching TV. He walks up to me, standing to the side.

"Get me beer."

"I don't want to. I'm watching Spider-Man."

He slaps me against the head, which seems to be his favorite thing to do. Besides drinking.

_Stupid drunk._

"I don't give a fuck. Go get my beer."

"It's dark. I don't want to want to go out there. You go."

"I slave for your lazy ass all day and you can't even pick up my fuckin' beer!"

He walks in front of me and grabs me by the throat. I yelp in surprise. He tightens his grip, pushes me down onto the couch, straddles me and starts strangling me. I choke out coughs and scratch at his hand to try to remove it from my throat. He removes one of his hands and punches me on the cheek, yelling at me.

"Get me my beer or I'll kill you, you ungrateful brat!"

I start punching and pushes on his chest, losing oxygen. I try to speak, gurgles coming out, to tell him I'll get the beer.

"What was that?"

I quickly, and strugglingly, nod my head "yes" at him. He releases his grip and I gasp for air. He gets off of me as I rub at my throat, coughing and wheezing.

"Good. Now go get it."

He sits next to me on the couch, watching the TV. I look over at him, tears from the pain brimming in my eyes. I get up shakily and head out for the beer. I walk to the convenience mart and realize I forgot Dad's money. I panic and remember what he did earlier, rubbing at my throat. Then I remember the lunch money I took from Parker in my back pocket as I pass a dark alleyway. Suddenly, I feel hands on me and something cold against my throat. I see someone step out of the alleyway. I look down and realize there's a knife against my throat.

"Hand us the wallet."

The one behind me pipes up, frightening me more than I already am.

"And the shoes! Give us the shoes, too!"

I shakily reach into my pocket for my wallet. I quickly hand it to the guy in front of me.

"Now the shoes!"

He removes the knife from against my throat. I bend down to act like I'm untying my shoes, then headbutt the guy behind me. In their confusion, I swipe the wallet back and quickly run back home. I stop at my door to see if they followed me. They didn't. I sigh in relief and head inside.

"You get my beer?"

"No! I got mugged before I could get it!"

He gets up from the couch and walks up to me.

"Did they take your wallet?"

"They did at first, but then I took it back from them."

I showed him the wallet in my hand.

"Good. This should cover the beer you didn't get!"

He rips the wallet away from my hand.

"That has my lunch money in it!"

"Too damn bad. Maybe you'll think twice about not getting my beer next time."

"What am I supposed to do about food tomorrow?"

"Do what the hell you want. I don't give a fuck."

"Whatever," I whisper to myself as I head to my room. I close the door and put a chair against it so Dad won't come in unannounced. I lay down, shaken, because of the attempted mugging. I swallow, rubbing my throat. I can feel it getting even more sore. I decide to just lie down and go to bed.

I wake the next morning with a burning, sore throat. I sit up and start coughing into my hand. I rub my throat and clinch my eyes as I swallow.

"Ugh..."

I swing my legs off the bed, getting up. I grab some clothes from the floor and remove the chair from the door. I quickly head to the bathroom, trying to avoid Dad. I shut and lock the door and look into the mirror. I see two large bruises on both sides of my neck. I lean in closer to the mirror and inspect them. I grimace and shudder as I remember how I got them. I get into the shower, finish and put my clothes on. I get out, cautiously, and go back to my room to get Tiny's jersey. I put it on and pick up mine. I put it into my backpack. I remember Dad took my money, so I heave a sigh and rummage through my room to see if a have any loose change. I find none and decide to give up looking. I put my shoes on quickly and head out the door to go to school. When I get there, I see Tiny and Liz whispering to each other right outside the entrance.

"Hey, man. You got any change I can borrow?"

"Sorry, Flash, I'm broke."

I curse under my breath and go to walk away, but Liz stops me by putting her hand on my arm. She whispers to me.

"Hey, Cutie. Tiny's planning a huge party at his place tomorrow night at eight. His parents are out and the alcohol's on him. You should show... I have a treat for you."

She winks at me, releasing her hand. I smile at her and nod. I hear them laughing with each other before I walk into the school looking for Parker. I look around the hall, but don't see him. I curse again and head down another hallway. I see Parker talking to that rich kid.

_Why can't I ever remember his name? I know he's pretty popular..._

I walk up to him. I hear the rich kid whisper to him.

"Oh, great... Well, Pete, I better be going."

"Okay. See ya, Harry."

_Oh, right, Osborn. Rich snob._

I scoff and watch him walk away.

"Parker, give me your money."

"Didn't you already take that from me?"

"I don't have it anymore because my dad took it. I need more. Hand it over."

"He took my- your money? Why? And why does your voice sound so hoarse? Do you have a cold? Because if you do, back off. I don't want to get it."

"None of your business! Just hand the money over!"

I watch him dig into his pocket, putting his tongue against the side of his upper lip as he does it.

"Let me see here..."

He pulls out some change and hands it to me.

"Sorry, Flash, that's all I got."

I look down at the change and count it. Seventy-five cents.

_This should be able to clean the jersey._

"Good enough."

"What do you need it for, anyway?"

"My jersey has blood on it and I need to clean it."

_Oh, shit. Why did I just say that?_

"Never mind. Forget I said that."

"Blood? What happened?"

"Nothing!"

I turn my head to the side to avoid looking at him. I hear him gasp.

"Flash! What happened to your neck? Let me guess - football?"

"Yeah, football."

"You can't fool me, Flash. I'm not stupid. Your dad hurt you, didn't he? Is that why your voice is hoarse?"

"Just drop it, Parker. It's none of your concern."

"He did, didn't he?"

"I said drop it!"

I try to walk away, but Parker grabs my shoulder, reminding me of Dad. I slap his hand away.

"Don't touch me!"

"Flash, I know something is going on between you and your dad. Just tell me."

"Okay, he hits me sometimes. But who cares? It's no big deal. I get hurt more playing football."

"No big deal? You have bruises all over you!"

"So? It's not like anybody can do anything."

We awkwardly stand there in silence for a few seconds. I go to walk away, but stop and turn my head toward him.

"Thanks for the change..."

I walk away from him, ignoring his protests for me to stop. After school, I give Tiny his jersey back and head to the laundromat. I put the jacket into the wash, add the detergent and start it up with the change Parker gave me.

"Flash? What are you doing here?"

_What the hell does it look like I'm doing?_

I turn around to see Liz.

"Just washing my jersey."

"Same here. But not a jersey. Want to know what I'm cleaning?"

She lifts up some skimpy panties and shows it to me. I smirk and grab her ass. I pull her closer to me and nibble on her earlobe. She throws her head back and giggles. She whispers to me.

"Save it for tomorrow, Cutie..."

She kisses me on the lips, as she stuffs her panties in my pocket and picks up her laundry basket. She walks out, waving goodbye. I adjust my crotch, pants feeling tighter after that encounter, and walk back to the jersey after I hear the machine beep. I take it out and leave the laundromat, not having enough change to dry it.

_Can't wait 'til tomorrow._

I get home and I find Dad passed out drunk on the floor, with a few beer cans around him. I spot my wallet on the floor. I sneak over and pick it up. I look inside and see he spent all my lunch money. I whisper to myself.

"Damn."

I kick him in the side. He grunts and continues snoring. I head into my room and put the chair against the door. I throw my backpack onto the ground with my shoes. I lie down on my bed, remembering the panties Liz gave me. I take them out and start sniffing them, inhaling the scent. I unbuckle my belt and unbutton my pants, sliding my hand down my underwear. I put the panties over my member and start to masturbate.. I finish and clean myself off with the panties. I button my pants up and throw the panties into the hamper. I fall asleep.

I wake up and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. I go to the bathroom to take a shower. I get out and head to the living room, putting on my shoes and jersey.

"Don't think I didn't fucking feel you kick me last night, you little cunt."

I yelp when he tries to grab me, running out the door. He runs after me, stopping in the middle of the lawn, too unfit and drunk to chase me all the way. I continue to school. I finally get there and practically bump into Parker.

"Hey, Flash."

"Hey..."

"Listen, I know you don't like to talk about it, but we need to. Your father-"

"What about my dad?"

"You need to tell someone about what he's doing to you."

"It's not that bad."

"It's only going to get worse. He could even kill you!"

"Shut up!"

I rush past him. On my way to class, Tiny stops me.

"Hey, Bro, you're going to be the life of the party tonight. Don't bail on us."

"I won't. I'll be there."

I bump his fist and continue on to class. After school, I put my backpack into my locker and head to the stadium for football practice. After that, I hit the gym showers and put on some cologne for tonight with Liz. I slick my hair back with some gel I got a few months back. I meet up with Tiny at the school entrance where he's waiting for me. We hop into his red convertible and drive to his place. When we get there, the party is already bustling with loud music and even louder people. I look around to see if I can find Liz anywhere. I spot her talking to a couple of her girlfriends, giggling.

"Hey, Liz."

She looks over to me.

"Oh, hey!"

She waves her friends off and turns her full attention to me. She speaks in a sultry voice.

"You made it, Cutie... I was waiting for you."

"Should we go back to the bedroom?"

"Nuh-uh. Let's dance first."

She hands me a cup of alcohol, holding one of her own. We chug it down and head for the dancing crowd. She starts grinding against me and I recall what I did with her panties last night. I close my eyes and think about what we're going to do later. I shake my head to prevent myself from getting hard. After about thirty minutes, she leads me into the kitchen. I see Tiny doing a Shotgun with a beer can. He looks to me and stops chugging it. I hear people groan in disappointment. He walks up to me.

"Come on, man - do a keg stand!"

Everybody starts chanting "put him up" and Liz nudges me towards the keg.

"Come on, Cutie!"

I become nervous and cave in. Tiny and a guy from the football team lift my legs up, turning me upside down. Someone hands me the funnel and I start chugging the beer. I could only last for about two minutes before I couldn't take anymore and signaled them to put me down. They put me down, everyone groaning in disappointment again. They return to what they were doing before, acting like this never even happened. I feel buzzed and I see Tiny walk up to me.

"Man, you're a lightweight!"

He laughs and heads upstairs with the other who helped lift me up. I turn to Liz, who smiles at me.

"That was great, Flash. I think you deserve a reward..."

She grabs my hand and leads me upstairs to one of the rooms. I stumble a little from the alcohol.

_I must be more than a little buzzed..._

She lightly pushes me onto the bed. She teases me by slowly removing her blouse. She unbuttons her bra and throws it onto my face. I remove it to see her bare breasts. She crawls on top of me, straddling my thighs. She unbuckles my belt and unbuttons my pants, getting up and removing them with my underwear. She gets back on top. My member is fully erect when she suddenly yells, startling me.

"Now!"

Suddenly, Tiny and the other guy from the keg stand comes out from the closet and quickly pins down my arms. I try to struggle.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

She reaches over to her purse on the nightstand and takes out her smart phone. I realize what's happening and I start to panic.

"No! Stop it! What the fuck are you doing, Liz?!"

She takes pictures of my softening penis from every angle. They start to laugh and I start to cry. I look over at Tiny with pleading eyes.

"Tiny, help me!"

He laughs in my face, then turns back to Liz.

"You done, Babe?"

"Almost, Baby."

She finishes taking pictures and hops off of me. I start struggling again, kicking.

"About to hit send, Baby."

I watch her touch the screen and I hear the phone say "Message sent." They let go of me and I quickly gather my pants, putting them on. I stare at Tiny for a second, betrayed and still crying, and run out of the room. As I'm running down the stairs, people start laughing and pointing at me, looking at their cellphones, then back at me. I run out of the house, humiliated, and start walking to my trailer. I cry all the way there. When I get there, I open the door and quickly head to my room, rummaging through the hamper. I grab Liz's panties, spit on them and throw them across the room.

"Stupid slutty bitch!"

I angrily smash all the stuff on my desk, including the pictures of me and Tiny, to the floor. I walk over to my shelf with the radio on it and knock it to the ground. Apparently, I called Dad's attention by doing this because he storms into the room.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"None of your fuckin' business, you old, drunk piece of shit!"

"What did you just say to me, you little fucker?"

"You heard me, you bastard!"

He rushes over to me and hits me against the temple, knocking me to the floor. I quickly get up and run into the living room. Before I can get to the front door, he grabs me by the hair and pulls me back, yanking me to him.

"Don't talk to me like that, brat!"

He slaps me across the face, then sniffs my breath.

"Have you been drinking?"

"What the fuck do you care? You drink all the time!"

"I told you not to talk to me like that! I won't say it again!"

His fist collides with my gut and my breath escapes me. He pushes me roughly against the coffee table, making me stumble. I fall directly on my hand, bending the wrist outward. I hear a snap and scream in horrible pain.

"Agh!"

Tears keep streaming down my face. I crumple up with my legs to my chest, holding my wrist close.

"Don't be such a pussy, you bitch."

He spits in my face and walks away from me. After an hour of on and off crying, crumpled on the floor, I weakly get up, avoiding using my hurt wrist. I wipe away the tears and head outside, walking down the street, heading for Parker's house. When I get there, I knock on the front door. I hear shuffling of footsteps and the door being unlocked. Parker answers it.

"Flash? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

Looking down, I start crying again.

"C-can I come in...?"

"Yeah, of course."

Parker shuts the door behind us and leads me to a chair in the kitchen. I sit down and wipe the tears from my eyes.

"Did something happen? Was it your dad?"

"It's all of it, Peter! I can't take it anymore!"

"It's okay. Just calm down and tell me what happened."

I tell him about the party, my wrist and everything that my father did. After about an hour, I've told him everything. He hugs me as I cry into his shoulder.

"It's okay, Flash, I'm here. Your father won't hurt you anymore."

Suddenly, there's a loud pounding on the door. I hear Dad shouting for me to come out. I panic and look over at Peter.

"He must of followed me!"

"Don't worry, I'm calling the police."

"No, wait! I don't know what will happen to me if you do that!"

"We'll handle whatever happens _when_ it happens. Okay?'

I nod and watch him dial the phone. After a few minutes, the police arrive, arresting my erratic father. Peter and I give our statements to the police and eventually they leave, taking Dad with them. He screams he'll kill me as the car drives away. Peter calls his aunt.

We sit down on the front step and Peter puts his arm around me.

"It's okay, Flash. You can stay with us as long as you need."

"Thanks, Pete."

We sit and wait for Peter's aunt, looking up at the stars.

Counting them.

THE END

**Inspiring Songs:**

**Never Again - Nickelback**

**The Red - CheVelle**

**Broken and Betrayed - Pop Evil**

**It Ends Tonight - The All-American Rejects**


End file.
